Composite rubber sole



Se t. V

p 1927 B. F. HARTWELL COMPOSITE RUBBER SOLE Filed Sept. 14, 1925 Wive 7121-0 7 Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

UNITED 5 PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN r. nA-n'rwnrn, or wrncnnsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPOSITE RUBBER SOLE.

Application fil d Septe ber 14, 1925. Serial -NQ..56,145.

ing qualities, and the strength of a rigid heel sea-t construction. To this end it been heretofore attempted to devise'a combined composite sole with ;a rubber forepart and leather shank and heel part, but allsuch prior efforts have been unsuccessful and uncommercial. Great fdifliculty has been experienced in the attempt to combine aleather and rubber sole, particularly outsoles, be cause of the difficulty in vmaki11g a proper joint between the two materials, the imprac ticability of permanently cementing rubber and leather, the expense f ef ec ing intr sate join s and the we keni g o the s le a such joints, and the positioning and location of the joint in the sole relatively with the sole.

tion, combined with the advantages of a leathershank and heel seat portion vfor the sole, and anovel typeof interengaging'joint structure at a peculiarlyadvantageouslocation in the shoe.

In carrying out my invention 'Ijmay utilize any ofthe well known typesof rubber or .rubberlike compounds or compositions,

preferably wear resisting and flexible layer of suitablethickness to constitute the .out-

sole of the shoe and with toughness-to give .wear resisting and stitch holding capabilities. The forepart section is,pref erably.of

Sufficient length and-extent, relatively with thesize an s y e o e d hence 5 6 blank, so that. this rubber like sectionwill be joined to the leather shank-and heel ,portion at a point substantially remote from ,that

This particular feature,i. e. the locationof :the joint between ,the f-leather :portion and thegrubber portio n, ;as;wel1 asthemethod of making this joint, constitute important featunes in the present invention. By'positionmg the oining portion in the shank or arch part .oij the shoe, where no or substantially no flexing, bending and working of the sole srequired, I avoid the difiiculties heretofere experlenced in making such a jointure between rubber and leather. Furthermore I can, by my peculiarly interengaging joint arrangement, and at the position which I have discovered is most important in the rigld shank of the part of the shoe, I can partially cement and partially stitch the leather and rubber together, effecting a permanen .ip ntnr .By h ms i joining posit on n a protected portion under the non-flexing part of the shank or arch, the st tch ng w ll not be broken during flexing, the nterengaging dovetailed joint arrangevment which 1 prefer to employ, is not, endangered or disturbed, and the entire sole is mainta ned in a desirable and satisfactory man e A further feature of my present invention cons sts inthe fact that by the peculiar and noveltypeof interengaging joint, I am enabled to both interengage the leather and the rubber ,parts so that cement can be ;.used hold1n leather to leather and rubber to rubber. ne of the great difliculties heretofore .deemed insurm ountablev was the attemptto cement rubber and leather together, which has not been found feasible. By my ,methodfof cementing rubber to rubber and leather to leather, I ecure an interengaging overlapping and smooth joint,and simultaneouslyprovide a protecting covering for athestitching so that an extremely desirable and attractlve, as wellas strong and durable, o nt is obtained between the rubber and-leather ol sec Referrlng to the drawlngs illustrating a .preferredembodiment of the invention,

,Fig. l'is aside view of a McKay type of sh em od ng y v i Fig. ,2,isa bottom view of the Shoe illustrati-ng indotted lines the stitching;

Fig. ,3 is an. enlarged cross-sectional view on-the line 33 'ofFig. 2; and

4 .-is an enlarged fragmentary View V o th tit ns -e e ttyp o o portion of the sole which withstands-the greatest amount of fiexlng n movement;

{Whilmmy invention is primarily in the so aa d th rme hod of j g e, I

and therefore I wish to claim these features herein. Y 1 Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a characteristic side view of an oxford shoe, wherein the upper 1 is joined to the sole, here shown as the forepart 2 of rubber or rubberlike composition and the shank and heel portion 3 of leather, the latter carrying the heel seat and the heel l.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate atypical McKay structure, while in Fig. t'the upper'5 and heel 6 are shown in a welt type of shoe, wherein the welt 7 is illustrated attached to a similar composite sole with the forepart 2 of rubber and the heel and shank portion 3 of leather, a fragmentary portion of the cut sole stitching 10 being shown, uniting'weltand sole.

In forming my composite sole, I first pre; pare a blank wherein the forepart 2 is; of suitable size and area: for the particular shoe to be made, utilizing rubber or rubber compound, preferably the wellknown type of soling sold under the name Gleasonite'for this purpose. For the shank and heel seat I utilize ordinary sole leather. In the forepart I form a beveled portion, eitherstraight across the sole or ata slight angle transversely, thisbeveled portion having its bottom face 12, to fit a correspondingly beveled surface 14: inthe leather portion 3. The bevelface 14- of leather, has a slight projecting interengaging lip throughout, as

clearly shown in the sectional detail'in Fig. 3. Adjacent the tread or outside face 15 of the sole portion 2, I form a transverse cut 16 of a considerable depth, to provide a surface to receive stitching 17' and 18 transversely of the sole and which unites the two sections of the sole,'rubbe r and leather, firmly and permanently together. These faces may be coated withv cement if 3 desired, but it is not necessary as the stitching will hold them'rigidly and permanently. The flap 20 between the cut 16 and the bottom face 15 (shown in inverted position IF ig. 3, corresponding with the cross-section of Fig.2), is employed to subsequently cover the stitching 17 and 18 on the bottomor tread surface of the shoe, these surfaces being cemented as they constitute avrubber to rubber contact throughout substantially the greater area and length. In the leather portion 3,. I continue the line of the bevel'14 (except for the slight projecting lip) rearwardly a considerable distance as shown at 21, to thus form an overlapping layer 22 of leather, the rubber flap 20 and the leather flap 22 being'of sutlicient extent to overlap and inter-engage and thus allow the leather portions 22 and 28 to be cemented leather to leather, as well as therubber portions being cemented rubber to rubber. 'The slight overlapping edge of the leather flap 22 thus conceals and protects the rubber whichis also stitched to the leather shank portion by stitching- 80, while the stitching which in McKay shoes is illustrated at 25 and 26 and in welt shoes at 10, Fig. 4c, catching and en gaging the edges of" both sides of the flaps,

,hold ,.:them :permanently and securely in- 25' and 26 or the Goodyear outsole stitch ing 10.

7 By discovering the proper position in whichthisjointed portion can be located, i. 'e., in that part of the shank or arch where the shoe does not fiex, but just above the same, I thus obtain the advantage of a nonworking sole portion, allowing the rubber.

section 2 totake up the flexing in walking and thus secure the desirable combination of flexible forepart with a rigid shank and heel part. This location of the joint is most vital and importantand I claim the same broadly herein. 7

In the completing of the shoe by edge finishing the'soles, whether in McKays-or welts, the edge finishing completelysoliolie ties the beveled and cut edges, covering the same, and the appearance of'the completed shoe does notdisclo'se the interengaging joint edges of the combining of the-two soles. The" rubber orrubber-like sole can be. of any desired composition; such as Gleasonite as above noted"; crepe rubber; intermingled rubber and canvas for better position. I I v I Mysinvention is further described and defined in th'e'form of claims as follows: 7 V 1. A composite sole, comprising a rubber forepart and'a leather shank portion, inten engaging parts of the leather and" rubber extendingtransversely'of the sole in anonfiexing portion thereof, stitching uniting the same, interengaging leather layers being-geemerited to "each other and theinterengaging rubberjlayers being cemented to each other. 2. A'fc'omposite sole, comprising arubber' stitchreceiving and holding, or other co'mfo'repart and a leather shank portion, inte'rchanging parts of the leather 5 and rubber extendingtransversely of the sole in a nonfiexi'ng' portion thereof, stitching uniting the same, the interengaging' leather layers being cemented to each other and the interen'gaging rubber layers being cemented to each other,.overlap1 ing portions of the cemented layers covering and protecting the uniting stitching; 7 1 T 3 3. Aromposite sole, comprising a rubber" forepart and a leather shank portion, I a

projecting lip extending across said" face,

be'veled'face 'on said leather portion'having a correspondingly beveled face on said rubber portion adapted to engage said beveled face and interengage with said lip, stitching uniting the same in a non-flexing portion of the sole, a flap cut on the outer face of the rubber portion cemented to the rubber portion and protecting said stitching, said flap extending onto the beveled face of the leather portion and stitched thereto, and a flap cut from the leather portion and over- 1 lapping and cemented to the leather portion from which it is cut and to the outside of the rubber flap, covering and protecting the edge of the rubber flap and the lastsaid stitching. c 15 In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. I

BENJAMIN F. HARTWELL. 

